We advised telecommunication company Bitė on entering into a framework agreement with Tele2 to create a shared Radio Access Network (RAN) in Lithuania and Latvia.

Partnership to benefit customers and national economies

The partnership will boost the 5G network development process so that full coverage will be rolled out much faster than in a standalone scenario ‒ a benefit for the development of modern economies in Latvia and Lithuania. It will also enable companies to further increase service quality for their clients by offering a wider, stronger network. Additionally, the partnership will help to optimise each party’s network infrastructure maintenance and development costs.

Bitė and Tele2 to continue operating independently while sharing network infrastructure

Network sharing will not affect product and services competition outside the scope of the cooperation agreement – both Bitė and Tele2 will continue to operate as completely independent entities.

The partnership will be implemented by establishing a joint venture that will operate existing 2G, 3G and 4G network infrastructure as well as starting to develop the upcoming 5G network. The plan is to build the radio network gradually during 2021-2023, with planning and preparation taking place before 2021.

Our services and project team

The Sorainen team in Lithuania and Latvia advised the client on multiple legal aspects related to this agreement, including competition law, telecommunications regulations, corporate, joint venture governance as well as diverse contractual matters, and will continue to provide legal support during further process. The Sorainen team consists of: